(CNN) — A 17-year-old lion overheated and died at a North Carolina animal sanctuary during last week’s heat wave.
The Carolina Tiger Rescue announced Tuesday that Sheba, a female lion that had lived at the facility since 2010, died after severe heat exhaustion caused her organs to fail.
Employees wrote on Facebook that Sheba stood out as the “epitome of what it means to be a lion — strong, confident and smart.”
The lion got sick after eating a meal July 18, Michelle Meyers of Carolina Tiger Rescue told CNN. Her age, coupled with an excessive heat watch, impeded Sheba’s ability to recover on her own, she said.
“The heat certainly made the situation more complicated,” Meyers said.
Workers put Sheba on an IV to rehydrate her. But it was clear she wouldn’t survive after blood work showed extensive damage to Sheba’s kidney and liver, Meyers said.
The lion died Friday, she said.